The present invention is related to electronic communications. More particularly, the present invention is related to systems and methods providing multiple tiered priority electronic communications to one or more recipients.
In a typical scenario an email or voice communication is sent to a recipient indicating a desire on the part of the sender that the recipient respond to or perform an action by a certain date. However, often the recipient is out of the office or otherwise unavailable until some time after the prescribed date. Upon returning, the recipient may be bombarded by what appears to be urgent messages that should have been addressed days or even weeks earlier. This is disconcerting for a recipient who is left to wonder if either a response or the requested action is still required. Further, it is disconcerting to the sender of the message as the sender may believe that the message was received by the recipient and that any requested action has been performed. Such a process leads to miscommunication and at times lost opportunities.
In another twist to the aforementioned scenario, the sender may become aware that the recipient is away for some time after sending the initial message. Upon becoming aware, the sender may communicate a subsequent message to the recipient indicating that there is nothing to worry about and that the sender has made alternative arrangements. This approach is very wasteful as it requires the sender to monitor the situation and become aware of the recipient's absence. Further, it requires the recipient to traverse two messages upon their return. In some cases, this can lead to miscommunications and at times to heightened tensions between co-workers or others.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for providing and updating electronic communications between parties.